When Willamette Humane Society has an adoption special, naturally we want to spread the word as much as possible, but sometimes we’ll have an impromptu promotion. If a promotion is going on, it will be listed on the home page, under the Adoption News menu, and also listed below.

Ongoing Adoption Specials

A loving home could be the best gift you give this holiday season. Be sure to stop by the shelter on Friday, November 24 for our “Black Furday” adoption special from 12-7 p.m. Adoption fees will be reduced up to 50% for cats and dogs … Continue reading →

It’s truly the summer to save them all! Willamette Humane Society is excited to join the Best Friend’s Partnership Network to offering $20 reduced adoption fees for senior and special needs cats and dogs through the month of August. Please note that our usual adoption … Continue reading →

Meet your new best friend at Willamette Humane Society this summer! In the month of June, adopt a senior (ages seven years and up) and special needs cat for $10—an adoption special in partnership with Best Friends Animal Society. This special adoption rate is only … Continue reading →

Merry Cat-mas from Willamette Humane Society! Our WHS Secret Santa is at it again, providing no-fee adoptions for all adult cats over the age of one from December 24 to December 31, 2016! We want to make sure as many kitties as possible to start 2017 … Continue reading →

Call (503) 585-5900, ext. 318

Statistics show that almost 50% of renters have pets. For rental property managers, it makes good business sense to maintain a policy that welcomes responsible pet owners. An animal-friendly policy will increase the marketability of a housing property or community and often results in an increased length of occupancy. Tenants must be willing to show proof that they are responsible pet owners, take measures to ensure their pets act appropriately, and adhere to all pet-related rules established by their housing community.

When tenants and property managers work together, it can be a win-win situation for all and result in fewer animals surrendered to shelters.

There are also adoption perks provided by partners and sponsors

When you adopt a pet from Willamette Humane Society, Signature Images Photography offers you a special gift! You receive a complimentary pet photography sitting and one 5×7″ color portrait. Additional portrait packages are available for purchase. 10% of all proceeds from portrait packages are then … Continue reading →

Each cat adopted from Willamette Humane Society receives the Feline Combo Tests as a standard practice for cats over the age of six months. All cats under the age of six months receive the FeLV test as a standard. For the public, our Spay & Neuter Clinic offers the tests for $25 at the time of surgery only.

Rate of infection ranges from 2-3% of the general cat population, to 3-4% of feral cats, to 13% or more of at- risk cats. Prevalence is highest in outdoor cats.

Virus can be transmitted in saliva, urine and feces, through the placenta before birth, or via milk after birth. Biting, mutual grooming, sharing litter boxes and feeding dishes, and moms to litters are common routes of transmission. Generally takes prolonged contact and social interaction to acquire infection. The chance of contracting permanent infection from a one-time brief contact is 3%. Cats living in households with FeLV positive cats have a 30% chance of becoming permanently infected.

The virus lives only a few hours on a surface outside the cat and is easilykilled with common disinfectants.

First stage if infection is called a transient viremia. Virus is circulating in the blood for 3-6 weeks (maximum of 16 weeks). The cat is contagious during this time, but many cats are able to clear the virus from their body during this phase. Ability to do so is dependent on age, health, immune status, and concentration of viral exposure. Kittens and sick or stressed animals are at highest risk.

Second stage of infection is called persistent viremia. The virus invades the bone marrow and the cat becomes permanently infected.

Some cats can clear the virus from their blood, but it will stay within the bone marrow, called a latent infection. These infections can only be diagnosed with a bone marrow sample or special PCR tests. The virus may stay hidden or re-activate during times of stress, illness or reproduction.

50% of persistently infected cats die within 2 years; 80 % die within 3 years. They may develop leukemia, anemia, tumors, and can develop other infections due to immunosuppression.

Vaccination provides some protection, but is not 100% effective. FeLV vaccines have also been associated with development of vaccine-associated sarcomas (tumors).

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends FeLVtesting at time of adoption to prevent exposure of other household cats, and to serve as baseline data for the future. The AAFP also recommends retesting all cats at least 90 days after the initial test in case of early stage of infection at time of initial testing.

No test is 100% accurate under all conditions. Results should be interpreted in light of the patient’s health and prior exposure to FeLV. A decision for euthanasia should never be made solely on the basis of whether a cat is infected. Consult your veterinarian for more information.

The Idexx snap test detects presence of antibodies to FIV, not the actual virus.

Rate of infection is approximately 1.5-3 percent in the US, 3-4% in the feral cat population. 15 % of high risk or sick cats are infected. Prevalence is highest in free-roaming, aggressive males.

Transmission is most common via biting. Rarely, mothers may pass the infection to newborns in utero, in the birth canal or via infected milk. Some kittens in a litter may become infected while others do not.

It can take 8-12 weeks post infection to see antibodies.

A kitten may receive antibodies from an infected mother yet not have the virus within its body, thus may test positive for up to 6 months without having the actual virus. Kittens under 6 months of age with a positive test should be retested at 60 day intervals until 6 months of age.

A positive test for an adult cat is most likely a true positive, but should be confirmed with another test (the Western blot). Few cats, if any, ever eliminate the infection.

Infected cats may appear normal for years, though cats will become immunosuppressed and susceptible to secondary infections. The cat may deteriorate progressively or have a waxing and waning course of disease.

There is a FIV vaccine, but protection is not complete, and future tests will show positive due to the FIV antibodies acquired.

The FIV virus does not survive outside the cat for more than a few hours.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends testing of all newly adopted cats.

When you adopt a pet from Willamette Humane Society, Signature Images Photography offers you a special gift! You receive a complimentary pet photography sitting and one 5×7″ color portrait. Additional portrait packages are available for purchase. 10% of all proceeds from portrait packages are then … Continue reading →

On-site Adoption Locations

Admin Conference Room – If a cat is in the admin conference room, they may be a long-term resident or have other needs that can’t be met by our regular kennels, suites, or foster homes. Please ask adoption staff about visiting with them.

Cattery A – Standard kennels, accessible from the shelter lobby/atrium, next to the education hall.

Cattery B – Accessible from Cattery A.

Clinic – Occasionally, our Spay & Neuter Clinic veterinarian and staff will foster a cat to monitor them after a special surgical operation. Please ask adoption staff about visiting with pets located in the clinic.

Foster Home – These are pets located off-site in volunteer foster homes. To visit with them, please speak with our foster coordinator by e-mailing foster@whs4pets.org, or calling 503-585-5900 ext. 303.

Isolation Cats – These are cats recovering from communicable illnesses (such as kennel cough) in a special area of the shelter not accessible to the public. Please ask adoption staff about visiting with these pets during or after recovery.

Kitten Room – Our kitten room is located in the hallway from the lobby/atrium to the dog kennels, and across from the education hall.

Suite – There are three cat suites accessible from the shelter lobby. This is the best location for bonded pairs or cats with special needs. Ask adoption staff or a volunteer about visiting with these pets.

Adoption Dogs– Otherwise called the dog “adoption floor”, this area of dog kennels is located down the North hall from the the shelter lobby, past the education hall, and through the door on the right. There is a second bank of doors on the left leading to each row of kennels.

Foster Home– These are pets located off-site in volunteer foster homes. To visit with them, please speak with our foster coordinator by e-mailing foster@whs4pets.org, or calling 503-585-5900 ext. 303.

Isolation Dogs– These are dogs recovering from communicable illnesses (such as kennel cough) in a special area of the shelter not accessible to the public. Please ask adoption staff about visiting with these pets during or after recovery.

Puppy Room– Puppies and small breeds are housed in the puppy room, in the North hallway from the shelter lobby, across from the education hall. Not to be confused with “Mary’s Place” which is a puppy play-room for volunteers to socialize our pets, accessible from the main kennels.

Stray Dog Kennels– Sometimes, there are so many dogs available for adoption that we don’t have room for all of them on the adoption floor. Some are sheltered in our stray dog kennels in an area not normally accessible to the public. Please ask adoption staff or a volunteer for help visiting with these pets.

Off-Site Adoption Locations

Currently, Willamette Humane Society cats may be adopted from multiple locations in the Salem-Keizer area. Our cats are cared-for by Willamette Humane Society volunteers in space generously provided by the following businesses.

Based on a pet’s temperament, history, and behavior assessments, we may sometimes flag a pet not to live in a home with small children. Maybe a pet’s play style is too rough, or maybe kids would just stress them out! Please check the adoption description or ask adoption staff about how old / respectful children need to be for a particular pet.

Based on a pet’s temperament, history, and behavior assessments, we may sometimes flag a pet not to live in a home with dogs. Maybe a pet’s play style is too rough, or they show fear, or may become aggressive with dogs. Please check the adoption description or ask adoption staff about specific circumstances for each pet.

Based on a pet’s temperament, history, and behavior assessments, we may sometimes flag a pet not to live in a home with cats. Maybe a pet’s play style is too rough, or they may demonstrate fear or aggression toward cats! Please check the adoption description or ask adoption staff about the needs of each pet.

Willamette Humane Society sometimes has cats who cannot live as house pets. Cats eligible for the barn cat adoption special fall into three categories:

Cats whose litterbox habits make them unsuitable for house pets.

Cats who are just too independent to appreciate being cooped up in cages in the shelter.

Cats who prefer the company of other cats and animals to people, or who don’t like to be handled.

Cats who are suitable to be house pets are not eligible for the Barn Cat Special, it is created to provide the best possible outcome for cats who may not otherwise be able to find homes.

The barn cat program reaches out to those with a working barn, outbuildings, or other safe structures deemed appropriate by our adoption counselors on a case by case basis. Having a barn cat or cats will help keep down the rodent population. The cats will be helping the property owner, while the property owner provides the cats with a safe place to live. And, because these cats are already spayed/neutered, the property owner won’t have to worry about endless litters of kittens appearing!

Willamette Humane Society staff will go over how to acclimate the new cat(s) to the barn or structure and make them feel at home.

Every year an average of 5,000 animals come through our doors. Lost or stray animals will be brought in by Good Samaritans or dog control agents. We also care for animals seized by law enforcement agents due to neglect. Sometimes because of tragedy, animals are left without a guardian. In all cases, we work to find each animal a loving home.

Each animal is considered individually so we can make the best choice possible to serve that particular pet. A trained technician carefully evaluates the health and temperament of every dog and cat that enters the shelter. We use structured and commonly accepted tests to identify dangerous aggressive tendencies in dogs. We assess cats based on their ability to be handled by staff for normal procedures. In addition, each animal undergoes a basic health examination.

Animals with abnormalities are seen by a shelter veterinarian for a diagnosis and treatment plan. Temperamentally sound and healthy or treatable animals are fast tracked through the adoption process as their condition warrants. Animals with serious medical conditions or behavioral and training needs may be given long term rehabilitation plans and adopted with hospice agreements or behavioral waivers. If an animal needs additional time, we also consider placement in the WHS Foster Program, which is made up of more than 325 local families.

We always do our best to place animals we believe to be safe in a new home through a careful screening and application process.While housed in the shelter, all animals receive food and water, exercise and socialization, and if necessary, grooming and health care.

Before any animal can be adopted by a new owner, there is a stray hold time to give owners an opportunity to claim their pet. Oregon law prescribes a three day hold time for dogs without identification and a five day hold time for dogs with identification.

There are no laws for how long to hold a stray cat, but WHS places a one business day stray hold on a cat without identification. This does not include the day of arrival or any days we are closed to the public. Our return-to-owner rate for felines is no different than when we had a longer stray hold. In fact, stray cats now have greater adoption visibility and faster placement.

We work hard to serve every animal that comes through our doors, but sometimes the transition into shelter life is just too difficult for an animal. In 2016, we implemented a call-back program for the person surrendering an animal. If we cannot help the animal in our adoption program, the surrendering party has the option of being called to see if they can take the animal back. We encourage people to do everything possible to find an appropriate home for their animals before bringing them to the shelter.

Shelter service fees such as adoption fees cover only a small portion of our costs, generally no more than 25 percent in any given year.

Along with donor support, adoption fees cover sheltering, routine or major medical care, and behavioral services for animals—many of whom reside at the shelter for a considerable length of time before being adopted. Each adopted animal is vaccinated, dewormed, spayed or neutered, and flea treated. An adoption package includes a collar, identification tag, microchip and registration, leash or carrier, and first veterinary visit. Other benefits may also be added on a case by case basis.

We want our animals to be adopted in homes where they will have quality, lifelong care. While adoptions are seldom turned down, an adoption will be denied if we truly believe that the animal will not be provided with adequate companionship or care. We use this opportunity to educate people about the specific needs of companion animals.

WHS focuses on placing dogs and cats in loving, new homes. WHS does not accept or adopt out small pets, exotic animals, reptiles, or farm animals. If you need help re-homing a small pet or farm animal, ask our Customer Service Staff for referrals to other organizations or read our FAQ section about re-homing small pets.

WHS does not currently accept small pets. If you need to re-home a rabbit, guinea pig, bird, rodent, or other small pet, see the following tips for re-homing your small pet and a list of referrals to rescue groups or other outlets.

Tips for Rehoming Your Small Pet

When you are no longer able to care for your small pet in your household, Willamette Humane Society encourages you to locate a new home for your beloved pet.

Some tips and ideas include:

Contact friends, neighbors, co-workers, and church or club members and let them know you are looking for a home for your small pet. Don’t forget about teammates of your child’s sports, music, scouting or other groups.

Post the offer of a well-mannered, family-friendly pet on your local Craig’s list, community TV bulletin board, and grocery store and coffee house bulletin boards.

Consider a small classified listing in your local newspapers. Some newspapers, including the Statesman Journal, allow you to post free classifieds in their online editions.

Call local elementary schools, child-care businesses, 4H or FFA clubs, as they may be interested in your donation of your pet, cage and remaining bedding/food to get the group or a member interested in responsible animal care.

Have you considered a group home, elderly foster care home or an elder neighbor who might be limited in their mobility but would love a small “pocket pet” to keep them company?

Many small pets can be easily cared for in a home or apartment and fit into many different families. We suggest you screen potential new homes carefully and visit with potential new owners to share your own experience and knowledge of your pet – as well as the dietary, care and exercise needs the pet requires.

Every adoption package at WHS includes the spay/neuter surgery, initial vaccinations, a vet exam, microchip, ID tag, 30 days of pet health insurance, and other valuable benefits. In addition, we evaluate pets for health and temperament, so that we can help match adopters with the pet that’s right for them. We also offer post-adoption support to address concerns and questions that may come up after a pet goes home. In all, adopting a pet is a tremendous value for the price.

A “free” pet is not really free because you will likely have to pay for his first vet exam, vaccinations, sterilization surgery, microchip, and other services. Those costs add up quickly, and you will probably end up paying more for your “free” pet than if you adopted one from a reputable rescue group or shelter.

We review our adoption fee scale on a yearly basis and take into account the fees that other humane societies and shelters in our area are charging. Our base adoption fee is currently $100 for an adult dog and $75 for a senior dog. Adoption fees for dogs that are in high demand (e.g. small dogs, puppies, unusual shelter breeds, and purebreds) are set higher than our base prices. These types of dogs tend to be adopted very quickly, which helps offset the cost of care for other dogs that may stay with us for a month or longer before finding new homes. In addition, many dogs receive dental work and other medical services prior to adoption, so the higher fees can help offset some of those costs as well.

Our dog adoption package is a great value because it includes the spay or neuter surgery, initial vaccinations, flea treatment, microchip and inclusion in national registry, a free vet exam, one month of pet health insurance, personalized ID tag, leash, and collar.

Our goal is to place adoptable animals with people who can care for them properly and meet their needs throughout their lifetime. We do not expect adopters to be perfect guardians, but it’s important to make the right match for both the adopter’s sake and the animal’s. We may turn an adopter down who is not the right fit for a particular animal, but can often help the adopter make the right match with another pet.

Yes. WHS allows more than one adoption for cats, kittens and adult dogs. We may also encourage two pets to be adopted together, if they come into the shelter as a bonded pair.

WHS does not allow people to adopt two puppies from the same litter, and strongly discourages adopting two unrelated puppies at the same time. The puppies will tend to bond strongly to each other and not to their human companions. Also, because of the amount of work and energy it takes to train one puppy, training two at the same time is likely to be too challenging for all but the most experienced puppy raisers.

Happy People Happy Pets

Happiness matters-for you and your new pet

Your adoption satisfaction is guaranteed. If you adopt a pet from Willamette Humane Society and discover that you are not compatible, you may return the pet within 30 days and receive a refund of your adoption fee or an exchange for another pet that will meet your needs.

We want to place the right pet in the right home and eliminate any perceived risk that might be associated with adopting. Our new policy will help ensure a good fit for both the adopter and the animal, improve customer satisfaction, and hopefully increase the number of adoptions. Ultimately, if people are happy with the pets they adopt, the pets are going to be happy too.

Willamette Humane’s “Happy People Happy Pets” started with a grant through the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and is based on a program successfully implemented by the Humane Society of Boulder Valley as part of the ASPCA’s $100,000 Challenge. Encouraged by the success of Boulder Humane’s adoption refund initiative, the ASPCA invited shelters to apply for grant funding to pilot similar programs in their communities. WHS was one of 3 shelters selected to receive grant funding. Per the ASPCA’s requirements, most of the grant money was used to conduct visitor surveys at Willamette Humane and establish some baseline data that will help staff measure the success of the program. The other portion of the grant was utilized to help spread the word about the new initiative to the community.